Posts Tagged ‘thanks’

This story is going to be very short. After being some moments stopped by the red traffic light, the queue of cars started moving. I was about tenth in the line, so I didn’t have a good view of the next corner, but it seemed most of the cars were turning left, as it was my intention. When I was near to turn, I stopped to let the walking people cross the street. Then, something weird happened: at the same time I received an insult from the car behind me and from one of the persons I was giving pass to cross the street. The first one argued that he was going to miss the green light and would have to wait, and the pedestrian because nobody before let him cross. I can not say they pissed me off, but it was a bitter time for me.

I have talked about people that get mad because other goes by the rules, so the driver behind me, even with no right, can be understood. The one I really don’t understand is the pedestrian’s behavior.

I will try to re enact the situation from his point of view: I am a pedestrian trying to cross the street, a lot of cars turn the corner in front of me, no one let me cross until one of the follows the rules and give priority to crossing people. The driver let me cross and, instead of “thank you”, I curse him because of the other’s actions.

Everyone expects the people follow the rules and obbey the laws. Every manager expects that a task, given to the people that should do it, will be performed in time and with the right amount of quality. But that person, even if he knows that he only followed the rules, expects at least a “thank you”. And what he really doesn’t expect is that you complain to him because others in his “class” don’t react the same way.

Thank you is powerful. Use it a lot, even if the one you are thanking for just did what he should.